Both sides walked to the net, and Tachibana suddenly burst out laughing, shouting at Sanada, "I really never thought I'd live to see you play doubles. I hope your Swift as the Wind doesn't end up hitting Niō instead, Sanada!"
"Hmph! Ridiculous nonsense! I will personally drag you both into the depths of defeat, Tachibana Kippei! Chitose Senri!" Sanada's already sun-darkened face turned even darker.
"Puri~ Facing two national-level opponents at once… Vice-Captain Sanada, are you really okay on your own?" Niō said with a mischievous grin.
"Shut up, Niō! You're being way too slack!" Sanada turned to Niō and roared.
"Oh my~ looks like he's really mad. Mmm~ very nice data. Puri~" Niō replied casually.
"Tachibana, do you think these two can actually play doubles? They're already fighting each other before the match even starts," Chitose asked with a chuckle.
"Heh~ who knows! Either way, we just have to crush them!" Tachibana declared boldly.
At that moment, the umpire couldn't stand it anymore and quickly told them to stop talking and get ready for the coin toss. Both sides complied, giving the umpire face by falling silent. During the coin toss, Niō made a strange, incomprehensible sound, and Rikkai won the serve.
Seeing Niō's crafty grin, Akashi couldn't help but shake his head in amusement. Others might have missed it, but with his Emperor Eye, Akashi saw Niō's little trick perfectly. Still, he wasn't concerned—that was just Niō's own skill.
At the spectator seats, Atobe leaned his face on one hand, looking intrigued at Niō. Like Akashi, he too had noticed Niō's action.
As Niō walked to the baseline to serve, he recalled what Yukimura had told him before the match.
"Niō-kun, I want you to go all out tomorrow. Rikkai's first victory depends on you!"
"Hoo~ all out, huh? Looks like you found me out, captain~" Niō murmured softly.
Meanwhile, Sanada in the front court had already bent down, ready for the game, but he suddenly noticed Tachibana and Chitose staring past him with strange expressions. Then, a familiar voice reached his ears.
"This time, are you my opponents? Tachibana, Chitose~ very well, let me see what you're capable of!" 'Atobe' said with a proud expression.
Everyone present, except Akashi and Yukimura, stared at the 'Atobe' behind Sanada with utter shock, their expressions crumbling as their minds struggled to process what they saw. Just then, outside the fence, someone among the Hyōtei members reflexively started shouting Atobe's name, and more and more voices joined in.
"Victory to Atobe! Defeat to Fudomine!"
"Victory to Atobe! Defeat to Fudomine!"
In an instant, the entire match court filled with Hyōtei's familiar cheers. On court, the 'Atobe' raised his right hand high and snapped his fingers.
The cheers fell silent instantly, and 'Atobe' flipped his hair arrogantly, saying, "Immerse yourselves in the brilliance of my tennis!"
"Niō Masaharu!" In the stands, the real Atobe's face was already twisted in fury, grinding his teeth as he spat out Niō's name.
Around him, Hyōtei's regulars kept looking back and forth between the 'Atobe' on court and the real Atobe beside them, their faces full of question marks.
"Atobe, I didn't know you had a twin brother! Why didn't you ever mention it?" Jirō asked blankly, surprisingly not asleep for once.
"If your brain is useless, I'd be happy to help you recycle it!" Atobe growled fiercely at Jirō.
"Idiot! That 'Atobe' on court is obviously Niō in disguise. It's insane, but anyone with eyes can see it!" Hiyoshi barked at Jirō.
"Niō actually had this kind of move hidden away. I need to collect detailed data—his whole model needs to be updated!" Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji, though in different areas, spoke nearly identical words.
At that moment, 'Atobe' on court was ready to serve. He tossed the ball high, swung with force, and the ball zipped over the net, landing and spinning wildly before skidding out of bounds.
"Tannhauser Serve!"
"15-0!"
"Well? Isn't my technique dazzling?" 'Atobe' said smugly after serving.
In the stands, Oshitari was holding Atobe back tightly, afraid he'd leap down and beat Niō to a pulp. Oshitari knew exactly what the Tannhauser Serve meant and that Atobe normally wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary.
"This is really interesting, Niō Masaharu~ I'll remember you!" Tachibana finally snapped out of his shock.
Chitose was the same, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he bent down seriously, ready to receive the serve.
'Atobe' stood at the baseline, tossed the ball up again, and fired another Tannhauser Serve. The ball zipped over the net and skimmed along the ground out of bounds.
"30-0!"
'Atobe' hit another Tannhauser, but this time Chitose quickly reached the landing spot and, just as the ball barely bounced, scooped it up and lobbed it back high.
"Did you really think the Tannhauser Serve would work on us, 'Atobe'?" Chitose said with a smile after his return.
Sanada was just about to react to the ball in the air when he heard 'Atobe' behind him shout, "Stay right where you are, Sanada!"
'Atobe' rushed to the front court, leaped high, and smashed the ball down hard toward Chitose. The ball slammed into Chitose's racket handle, knocking it out of his hand before he realized it.
The ball bounced back into the air, and 'Atobe' jumped again, smashing it down with extreme speed. The ball slammed into the baseline on the opposite side and shot out of bounds, leaving Tachibana too stunned to react.
"Rondo Towards Destruction!"
"40-0!"
Of course, what shocked Tachibana wasn't the move itself, but that Niō could mimic it so perfectly—this was Atobe's style, down to every detail.
"I underestimated you, Niō Masaharu," Chitose said seriously as he slowly picked up his racket, not even calling him 'Atobe' anymore.
'Atobe' ignored Chitose's words and served another Tannhauser, but Tachibana easily returned it—they were far too familiar with that serve, especially since it had been a long time since they'd seen Akashi use it.
Facing Tachibana's return, 'Atobe' fired back with a Jackknife backhand. Sanada finally moved, and both sides engaged in a fierce rally, ending with Sanada smashing through with an Invasion Like Fire to take the point.
"Game! Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku! 1-0!"
Tachibana and Chitose exchanged a look, each reading the other's thoughts. Chitose walked slowly to the baseline, and seven-colored light rose around him as sparkles appeared near his hair—he was in his Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami state.
But just as Chitose was about to make his prediction, 'Atobe's' figure suddenly blurred and then sharpened again—only now it wasn't Atobe, or even Niō, but… Mōri Jusaburō!
"What the hell?!" Chitose couldn't help but shout as the simulated image in his mind collapsed. It was obvious Niō's ability completely countered Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami.
"Sanada-kun, let's get serious—I don't want to drink punishment tea after this!" 'Mōri' said with a serious expression.
Sanada's eye twitched hard. He didn't even need to turn around to know who Niō had become—someone he normally couldn't stand, now inexplicably playing doubles with him.
To be honest, Sanada was really at his limit. He was already furious when Yukimura made him play doubles as punishment for losing yesterday's match—his alternative was to drink a huge cup of punishment tea, so he reluctantly chose to play. But Niō pulling this stunt today truly pushed him over the edge. First he transformed into 'Atobe,' which he barely tolerated, but now he'd become 'Mōri-senpai.' Sanada honestly wanted to smash his racket and walk off. Too bad he couldn't.
Meanwhile, Mōri himself sat in the stands watching his doppelgänger on the court with great interest, chuckling at Sanada's constipated expression.
Chitose took a deep look at 'Mōri,' then silently tossed the ball high and sliced it vertically on contact. The ball flew over the net, shot upward suddenly, and vanished before Sanada's and 'Mōri's' eyes.
"Kamikakushi!"
But at the baseline, 'Mōri' dashed to the left and swung at the empty air, the ball instantly appearing on his racket and getting smashed back.
"That trick won't work on me~" 'Mōri' said with a playful grin.
"Oh? Then try this!" Tachibana instantly appeared at the net, fiercely driving the ball with an irregular spin, splitting it into seven afterimages that fell toward the opponents.
"Abare Jishi!"
Behind Sanada at the net, a massive mountain wall appeared, blocking all the ball shadows. Then he fiercely sliced the ball crosscourt.
"Immovable as a mountain!"
In the backcourt, the seven-colored light around Chitose suddenly gathered in his legs. With a flash, he appeared right in the ball's path, the light shifting to his right hand as he smashed a straight shot at the ball.
Sanada's eyes narrowed. Hyaku Ren Jitoku Kiwami—he knew it too well. But unfortunately, the one using it now wasn't Tezuka. The moment the ball met 'Mōri's' racket, it was blasted straight out of his hand.
"15-0!"
Chitose moved to the baseline to serve again. He had already decided to stop using Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami this match, because he knew if he used it, Niō would definitely transform again.
He unleashed another Kamikakushi. Although he knew the move had been cracked, it was better than nothing. Sure enough, even Sanada saw through the trajectory, and using Swift as the Forest, he nullified the spin and dropped a short ball.
Tachibana quickly rushed to the net, hitting a crosscourt shot, and 'Mōri' chased it down to return. The two sides started a fast rally, but soon Sanada's racket was knocked out of his hands. Chitose stood calmly with seven-colored light shining on his right hand.
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
"Game! Fudomine! 1-1!"
With Hyaku Ren Jitoku Kiwami's doubling counter, Chitose easily won the game. Sanada's face darkened further, and even 'Mōri' looked helpless. If it were the real Mōri, maybe he could hold on, but Niō's strength was still a step short.
Now it was Sanada's turn to serve. At the net, 'Mōri's' figure blurred again, revealing 'Marui'—with a huge bubble on his lips, no one knew when he'd started chewing gum.
"Enjoy the genius's ultimate technique~" 'Marui' declared confidently at the net.
"Is it my turn now?" Marui in the stands asked, a bit surprised.
"You know, he really nailed it—even the tone is identical!" Jackal said beside him.
Sanada looked at 'Marui' silently for a moment, then tossed the ball high without even bothering with his usual "Abyss of Defeat." His arm whipped, the ball slicing forward like a sharp gust.
"Swift as the wind!"
Though the serve was blazingly fast, it posed little threat to Chitose in Hyaku Ren Jitoku Kiwami. With seven-colored light on his feet, he moved instantly to the landing spot, the light shifting to his right hand as he fiercely swung his racket.
The ball flew back faster than it had come, but Sanada had already rushed to the net, going for a double net attack. Using Immovable as a Mountain, he blocked the doubled Swift as the Wind and returned it. Tachibana intercepted it quickly, and the three players started a net battle.
Chitose held back, conserving energy and maintaining Hyaku Ren Jitoku Kiwami without moving forward. He trusted Tachibana to handle it. Against opponents like these, stamina would be key.
Just then, 'Marui' at the net sliced the ball with a backhand. The ball floated toward the net, stopped dead at the top, then started rolling sideways along it before dropping onto Tachibana's side.
"Secret Technique! Tightrope Walking!"
"15-0!"
"How's that? Genius-level creativity, right?" 'Marui' boasted proudly.
But his smugness didn't last. Tachibana unleashed his full power, launching a fierce onslaught. Combined with Chitose's doubled counters, even Sanada couldn't withstand it.
"15-15!"
"15-30!"
"15-40!"
"Game! Fudomine! 2-1! Switch courts!"
Niō returned to his original appearance, joining Sanada at the sideline to hydrate. Yukimura looked at Sanada calmly.
"Genichirō, are you still hesitating?"
Sanada drank silently without answering immediately. Niō also kept quiet, knowing this wasn't the time to butt in. After finishing his water, Sanada set down the bottle and spoke in a low voice.
"I know what I have to do, Yukimura!"
Yukimura nodded, saying nothing more. He believed Sanada wouldn't let him down. With the break over, both sides returned to the court. Sanada moved up to the net while Niō shifted in the backcourt, transforming again—this time into 'Yanagi Renji.'
"Sanada! I've gathered enough data. It's time to counterattack!" 'Yanagi' said in a deep voice.
On the other side, Tachibana stepped to the baseline to serve, while Chitose took his place at the net, having exited Hyaku Ren Jitoku Kiwami to conserve stamina—he didn't want to end up too exhausted to move later.